To some, the idea of leaving a religion can seem as innocuous as cancelling a gym membership. However, for many who have left a faith tradition, the reality is much more complicated. As a psychologist ...

How did humans create the earliest words? Iconic vocal sounds, which match form and meaning, likely played a key role Language gives us the power to describe, virtually without limit, the countless ...

Rather than trying to leave behind beloved art by immoral artists, let philosophy offer you a model for engaging with it Reflecting on her long-standing love of Edward Scissorhands (1990) amid ...

If you’ve been thinking about changing to a vegetarian or vegan diet, you might have one, two or many reasons. Maybe a high cholesterol level on a recent lab test persuaded you to eliminate red meat ...

Some people watch history pass by. Others high in ‘historical consciousness’ truly live it – and seem to benefit as a result ...

A rational person, according to traditional economic models, is someone who considers all relevant information when reasoning, reaching a decision or making a judgment. In this sense, rationality ...

Standard features of human memory and learning can help explain the disorientation that follows the death of a loved one When a loved one dies, many of us fall very suddenly into a disorienting new ...

Physics tells us that time doesn’t flow like a river, as Heraclitus claimed. Why then do we feel like we’re swept along? What could be more universal and obvious than this flowing? And yet things are ...

Disgust protects you, but it can also keep you at arm’s length from others. You can learn to lessen disgust’s false alarms Imagine it’s a hot and humid day. You’re cleaning up after dinner, and you ...

There are many kinds of pseudosciences: astrology, homeopathy, flat-Earthism, anti-vaxx. These ‘fields’ traffic in bizarre claims with scientific pretensions. On a surface level, these claims seem to ...

Uncertainty is a universal human predicament: ‘the future’s not ours to see’, as a song once put it. While people often feel pretty certain about many things – including the sense that the rhythms of ...

Take a moment to call to mind a few of your fondest memories, the kind of memory so vivid that you can picture and describe it in rich detail. You might recall a vacation with friends, a concert, the ...